Planting Peas in the Drizzling Rain

I was going to plant peas yesterday but it was cold and rainy, so I waited hoping for better weather. Today is a little better, but it's still about 45 degrees and drizzling. Oh well, I didn't figure I'd melt so out I went, with my faithful garden helper (my 8 year old son) and his umbrella to keep my seeds nice and dry. I wasn't terribly excited about going out there, to be honest, but that all changed when I stooped down to dig the little trench to bury seeds in and there, on the other side of the fencing panel, were peas peeking out! At first I was worried that the snow and cold had pushed them up, but upon closer examination it wasn't the cold... they're sprouting! I got such a rush of joy. *happy sigh* Needless to say planting the rest of the row no longer seemed like such a chore.

I used up the last of my Oregon Sugar Peas, which I knew was going to happen, so when I was at the feed store buying a dozen kinds of greens seeds Monday (see my previous post about planting some of them) I found some edible pod seeds called Sugar Ann Garden Peas. Actually, looking for edible pod pea seeds to replace the Oregons was what led me to look at their seed selection in the first place, so I have them to thank when I sit down to eat a delicious meal of those greens! Anyway, the lady at the feed store said she liked Sugar Ann so I bought a big bag to give them a try. There's no question their seeds are cheaper, but I cringe at not buying all organic seeds. The high price tag made the decision for me, so we'll see how they turn out.

Also, I don't think I mentioned before that the fence panel that goes down the center of the pea patch has 24 squares, so I divided it up into 5, 5, 4, 5, and 5 squares when I did my planting. I'm trying to be meticulous in keeping track of what we really like and what grows well so that I don't waste time and energy. It also satisfies my slightly OCD personality, if I'm honest. Here's the updated pea garden diagram:

No signs of sprouting from the greens yet, but it hasn't even been a week so I'm still hopeful. I hope you're getting ready for spring. I know that I'm starting to twitch every time I pass the nurseries, Lowe's, the feed store, and just about anywhere else that sells green things! I'm lucky to have a great resource right in the little town where I live, a local hardware store that hasn't sold out.

The Pea Seeds Arrived Today!

At the beginning of the week I placed an order with the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange and it arrived today! When I told my son he got all excited. It's contagious, because when I pulled that package out of the mailbox I was giddy, and I refuse to feel silly about it. I wonder if the deer will allow any of the plants to get to the point of producing, since the little buggers came in and ate the greens off the tops of some of my sweet potatoes, but I've taken evasive action.

Anyway, after reading through the descriptions on the Southern Exposure website I made the following selections:

• English Peas - Little Marvel and Wando
• Snow Peas - Mammoth Melting Sugar
• Southern Peas - Calico Crowder (Pole Cat), Big Red Ripper (Mandy), Pinkeye Purple Hull, and Peking Black

My son is really excited about the Pinkeye Purple Hulls because the picture on the website showed purple seed pods, which he can't want to see! My order was $20.77, so we're going to have to get a lot of peas to make up the cost, but that's not really why I'm doing it so I'm not worried about it. I'm thinking that I might offer a few of each kind to the ladies at the farmer's market, since I love to feed my family the fresh, delicious foods that they grow and over the four years I've been going to that little farmer's market I've gotten to know a couple of the ladies by name.